Chapter 14486 Meteor Dragon Valley

Chapter 14486 Meteor Dragon Valley

The moment the sword tip touched his skin, Ling Xiao's figure vanished like a ghost, reappearing only half an inch from Ling Bi's back. But the sword missed its mark. Without hesitation, he parried with his own sword, retreating a hundred feet amidst the clang of metal on metal. Before he could even regain his footing, the sword tip lightly touched his throat again.

This time, Ling Xiao didn't dodge; his left hand gripped the blade with lightning speed. As blood seeped from between his fingers, his sword was pressed against Ling Bi's throat.

Both of them sheathed their swords and retreated simultaneously. Ling Xiao's wound on his left palm was so deep that the bone was visible, and blood dripped onto the sand, spreading into a small red mark; Ling Bi's snow-white neck had a red mark that looked like cinnabar, but she smiled and her eyes curved into crescents.

Hidden in the shadows, Yu Jianzi stroked his beard and sighed softly, his eyes revealing approval: "What ruthless courage to exchange one's life for another."

Elder Mu, standing to the side, stared intently at the arena, his tone grave: "In terms of swordsmanship alone, Ling Bi is still slightly superior."

“But in a life-or-death struggle, a bit of ruthlessness is often more deadly than a lot of skill.” Yu Jianzi’s gaze swept over the lingering ferocity between Ling Xiao’s brows. “This kid has fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Ling Bi is still lacking in experience.”

Sword light flashed again on the wasteland. This time, Ling Xiao completely abandoned defense, each strike carrying the intent to die with his enemy. Ling Bi's sword tip grazed his heart several times, but she was always forced back by his desperate counterattacks at the last moment. She frowned and retreated three zhang, a strand of her black hair being severed by the sword energy and fluttering in the wind.

"Stop it." Yu Jianzi suddenly appeared and stood between the two. "If you continue fighting, it will be a matter of life and death."

Ling Xiao sheathed his sword, looked at the wound on his palm, and smiled bitterly: "I'll fight you properly next time."

“Young Master is clearly more powerful.” Ling Bi ran her fingertips over the bloodstains on her neck, her tone tinged with resentment. “I learned the Sword Sect’s exquisite sword techniques, yet you still managed to overpower me.”

"You've improved fast enough already. If you train a little longer, I might really be unable to beat you." Ling Xiao rubbed her head, his smile softening. "Cultivate well, young master will need your help a lot in the future."

After saying that, he turned and left with the three sword cultivators. Walking on the road, Ling Xiao touched the Star Chainmail in his arms. Now that he had these three high-level Star River Realm cultivators, plus the Shadow Venerable who was at the peak of the Star River Realm, he finally had more confidence. Even without using the power of the Blade Fiend, he wouldn't be easily at a disadvantage.

As the three parted, dusk had already painted the sky crimson. After Ling Xiao's figure disappeared into the teleportation array, Ling Bi suddenly spoke up: "He's been carrying all the pressure on his own, hasn't he?"

Yu Jianzi sighed: "If you go to him now, the Holy Temple will definitely come out in full force. We are not ready to wage a full-scale war against such a behemoth."

At this moment, a dark figure darted out from the shadows and handed over a secret report: "Elder, several major forces in the Silent Realm are gathering, and judging from the direction, it seems they are heading to the Heavenly Abyss."

"As expected, they're going to make a move against her..." Yu Jianzi looked in the direction of Tianyuan, his tone filled with worry, "If something happens to that woman, this young man will probably go completely insane."

"I have confidence in Young Master!" Ling Bi smiled. In her heart, Ling Xiao had always been invincible.

……

When Ling Xiao returned to Tianyuan, he immediately saw a reassuring sight. Under the care of Shangguan Yue and Lü Ning, the land once ravaged by war had sprouted new green shoots, and farmers were even working in the fields. The martial artists from the Chaotic Universe did not plunder resources as others had expected; instead, they opened sects in various prefectures, opened their gates to accept disciples, and taught them cultivation methods.

When Ling Xiao placed the jade bottle containing the "Breakthrough Pill" on the table, Shangguan Yue's fingertips trembled slightly. She had been stuck at the peak of the Cangyue Realm for a long time, and this Breakthrough Pill was the key to her breakthrough.

"This pill can help people break through the shackles of the Great Sun Realm." Ling Xiao looked at the military formations training outside the hall, his voice becoming more serious. "We can't rely on top experts forever; those below us must also keep up."

Lu Ning handed over a military report, his brow furrowed: "The Divine Light Clan and the Demon Heaven Sect have been unusually quiet lately, with even border skirmishes decreasing."

"It's just the calm before the storm." Just as Ling Xiao stood up, a guard rushed in and presented him with a secret letter. It was from the Lord of the Silent Realm. The letter contained only a broken sword drawn in vermilion ink on a plain sheet of paper, nothing else.

As he stared at the broken sword pattern in deep thought, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended, enveloping the entire Tianjiang City. An old man in black robes hovered in the clouds, the coiled dragon pattern on his chest seemingly about to burst forth from his clothes, his eyes as cold as ice.

Under this oppressive aura, the warriors throughout the city struggled to even lift their heads, feeling as if they had suddenly fallen into an ice cellar, their teeth chattering.

"Seven days from now, at Fallen Dragon Valley." The old man's voice was like clashing iron, icy and piercing. "If you come alone, Tianyuan will be spared from war; if you do not come, the entire Tianyuan, including your Overlord Empire, will be destroyed by my hand!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man in black robes stepped into the air and disappeared without leaving a trace, leaving behind only the trembling martial artists in the city and Ling Xiao and the other two with solemn expressions in the hall.

As soon as the shadows dispersed, Lü Ning rushed up and grabbed Ling Xiao's arm, her knuckles turning white and her nails almost digging into his clothes: "Don't go! This is clearly a deadly trap, going there is just suicide!"

Ling Xiao didn't break free. His gaze passed over him and looked out of the palace. Dusk crept over his shoulders, and people hurriedly ran home on the streets. Some women were still carrying unfinished groceries, and the cries of children were mixed in with the wind. He forced a smile, more bitter than bitter medicine: "They calculated it. I had no choice."

His fingertips lightly touched the railing at his waist; the wooden bars still carried the warmth of the sun. Smoke drifted from the distant alleyways, carrying the faint aroma of cooked food, and the faint sounds of children's laughter echoed against the palace walls, shattering into tiny fragments. This peace and security was something so many had risked their lives to protect; he couldn't let it crumble like this.

The candlelight flickered fiercely in the hall. Ling Xiao stared at the scroll map spread out on the table, his fingertips tracing the paper. Shangguan Yue pulled a book of maps from the bookshelf, her fingertips tracing the rugged peaks of the southern border of the scroll, a trace of ink still clinging to the edge of her nail: "This is the Fallen Dragon Valley. Legend has it that a true dragon perished here in ancient times. Strange light fragments float at the bottom of the valley year-round; it's said to have been the cultivation ground of the ancient dragon race."

"Dragons?" Ling Xiao looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with astonishment. "Are there really still dragons living in this world?"

Lu Ning pulled out a yellowed ancient book from the top shelf of the bookshelf. The pages were so brittle they were about to crumble. He handed it over carefully: "It's hard to say. But the book says that there used to be a clan in the Fallen Dragon Valley that cultivated dragon veins. Their history was even longer than that of the Demonic Sect. It is said that the foundation of the Demonic Heaven Sect was established by the inheritance they received from there."

Ling Xiao traced the jagged mountain outlines on the map with his fingertips, his voice deep and heavy, like the weight of iron: "Choosing this battlefield... what is the Divine Light Clan trying to use in the valley?"